John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland

John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland (1502?-1553), English courtier and military commander. His father, Edmund Dudley, a lawyer involved in tax extortion under King Henry VII, was executed upon the accession of King Henry VIII. Dudley's mother remarried, and his stepfather gained him favor at court. He was made governor of Calais in 1538 and warden of the Scottish marches in 1542, the year he was elevated to the peerage as Viscount Lisle. He was created Earl of Warwick in 1546. Upon the accession of King Edward VI, a minor, in 1547, Dudley became joint regent and lord chamberlain of England. After subduing a Scottish rebellion in 1547, he embarked on a struggle for power with the Seymour family, headed by Edward Seymour. Dudley was created duke of Northumberland in 1551 and disposed of his rival, Seymour, the following year by having him tried and executed on false charges. Subsequently, he conspired to gain the succession to the English throne for his heirs by marrying his son, Guildford, to Lady Jane Grey. His resistance to the accession of Queen Mary I led to his execution in 1553.